Thicker Than Blood
by Entoxica
Summary: Roxas and Namine are twins, so it goes without saying that they know everything about each other. Everything that it, with the exception of the secret desires that are taboo in the world we live in. NAMIXAS
1. My Darkest Secret

Alright, so I'm sure you guys read the summary and now want to murder me for implying incest, much less twincest. Listen: I do not support incest in this world, I have a brother and trust me, the idea of that makes me want to spew my guts out. However, I do enjoy a "forbidden love" story, and I felt Namixas needed more love from my end, so just try not to massacre me.

FULL SUMMARY: Roxas had a perfect life: he was popular, in love with the lovely Namine, and had a close bond with his sister. Where's the problem? His sister _is_ Namine. At what times are you supposed to fight for love, and at what times are you supposed to fight against it? When is it a suicide, and when is it being a martyr? How do you know if what you're doing is right, when everyone else says it's wrong?

.:Chapter 1: My Darkest Secret:.

Roxas was sleeping on his bed, his room littered with magazines and old clothes. He kicked his plain white covers off in the course of the night, leaving his bare legs from the red shorts as well as the parts of his arms that his white T-shirt didn't cover. Thankfully, it was early September and still quite warm. Roxas slept on his left side, which left him facing his bedside table which only had a lamp, his alarm clock, and his black cell phone on it. The last of the items vibrated annoyingly, and when Roxas didn't awake to turn it off the ring tone activated on the highest volume: _I fell into a burning ring of fire! I want downdowndown! And the flames went up higher!_ Roxas sat up quickly and glared at the noisy phone before picking it up, "If this isn't important Axel, I will rip your head off," he growled.

"Just making sure you're up Mr. Sunshine," Axel's cheerful voice responded from the speaker. "Don't worry, you can thank me later!" Roxas could faintly hear the _crackle snap popping_ of Axel's Rice Crispies as he spoke, "By the way, how long is milk able to go after the expiration date?"

"Axel..." Roxas glanced at his clock before growling at his friend, "It's freaking 5 o'clock in the morning... I don't need to get up for two more hours!"

Axel chewed on the other side of the phone before talking, "Alright, a month after expiration is definitely a bad time for milk." Roxas was very tempted to throw his phone against a wall, and he would have if he didn't save his allowance for 5 months to buy it in the first place, and there must have been at least 100 bucks worth of music downloaded on it. "Oh, and it's 7:30 buddy, you might want to get moving."

Roxas's eyes widened and he glared at his lying clock, "DAMN IT ALL!" Roxas tossed the phone on the bed and jumped off, tossing his clothes off and pulling some off the floor to put on.

"I love you too Roxy!" Axel's voice resonated from the phone, before a click sounded to let Roxas know he hung up. Roxas glared at the phone, and ran to his sister's door across the hall

"NAIMINE! WAKE UP!" Roxas pounded on the door, and which opened moments later to show a sleepy Namine. Her hair was messed up from her long night's sleep and she was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She was wearing only a white T-shirt and some blue shorts. Roxas's eyes widened slightly at the sight, but he remembered that he had a really reason for coming to his twin's room, "Namine, we need to get ready and leave for school quickly!"

"Roxas..." Namine yawned and stretched, "it's only 5." Roxas silently cursed Axel, who was checking his fridge to see if he had any milk from cows that died sometime after the stone age.

"It's okay," Namine smiled brightly at her brother, who turned slightly pink in response. "This way, when school starts we'll be wide awake." Namine smiled again and closed her door to get dressed.

Roxas stared at the door for a moment before sighing and walking back to his own room, and closing the door. Roxas fell on the bed and stared at the phone, "Damn it Axel..." Roxas closed his eyes in an attempt to ignore the image of his sister burned into his head. The way her blue eyes were unfocused... the way her hair was messy from her fluffy pillow... the way her slender legs peeked out from her shorts. Roxas frowned and hit himself in the head, "What's wrong with you? Sicko..." Roxas sat up and turned on his computer, watching as the programs started up. Roxas frowned when he saw his buddy list on his IM'er empty, but then he remembered that no one else would be awake... with the exception of Axel who didn't even own a computer.

Roxas went to the Internet and read the news, but he could still feels the heat in his face. Roxas glared at his reflection in the monitor and forced himself to focus on the news. Sadly, humankind picked a bad time to not do bad things, so the most interesting thing in the news was the fact that some model was having an affair with a married director. Roxas sighed and fell back on his bed, hoping to make up for lost sleep.

"Roxas..." Roxas could hear his sister's soft voice as she knocked carefully on the door. Roxas smiled at the adorable behavior, and just imagined Namine on the other side of that door, leaning against it partially while not looking clingy.

"I'm decent!" He called out, watching the door slowly open. Roxas started to wish he didn't say that when he saw his twin. Namine was dressed in her usual white dress with blue sandals, and her hair was soaking wet against her equally wet skin.

Namine didn't notice Roxas's discomfort and smiled, "The shower's open. Since we woke up early, I can air dry today," Namine smiled wider and Roxas was praying to God that his thoughts weren't apparent... then he remembered that there was no way God was on his side in this mess.

"I took one last night," Roxas gave a sheepish smile and pointed to his permanent bed-head that had a lot to do with sleeping with wet hair. Namine nodded and left, closing the door behind her. The moment she was gone, Roxas's smile was replaced with an angry scowl, "I'm the worst kind of person," Roxas threw his head on his pillow, hoping to distract himself from the tightening in his pants. "Why did we have to be siblings?" Roxas muttered to himself, hating every fiber of his being more and more with each passing second.

...

Roxas walked on to the school grounds with Namine, his head moving back and forth in search for his soon-to-be-dead-best-friend Axel. "I'll get going now!" Namine smiled at Roxas and ran off. Roxas frowned slightly, he knew that although he was high on the totem pole of popularity at this school, Namine was pretty much invisible. Roxas could have lived with that, he would have even appreciated it since he hated popularity himself, but Namine had no friends outside of the teachers, who thankfully weren't perverts or anything like that.

Roxas's thought were interrupted when he heard a loud yell, "Roxy!" Roxas scowled when his friend wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him into a strangle/hug. Axel grinned, knowing how annoyed his friend was, "Oh, come on Roxy! I was lonely this morning," Axel gave a fake puppy-dog pout which Roxas chose to ignore.

"You didn't have to take it out on me," Roxas growled, "and how many times do I have to tell you to not call me 'Roxy'." Roxas turned his head away from his friend and saw some other students talking to Namine. Roxas would have felt encouraged if it wasn't Larxene, Marluxia, and Demyx. Demyx was relatively harmless, but both Marluxia and Larxene enjoyed tormenting the younger girl. "Axel," Roxas turned to the pyro, "could you get Marluxia and Larxene to lay off Namine? It bugs me, you know?"

"No problem," Axel shrugged, "they just get bored easily." Axel grinned at Roxas, who was too busy keeping a watchful eye on his sister to notice. He didn't have any hard feelings towards the three, not even Larxene. After all, the 5 of them (Axel, Demyx, Larxene, Marluxia, and Roxas) hung out together often and such, but Roxas knew better than to actually trust any of them. Then again, having such a dark secret did make a person generally mistrusting.

"I'm going to class," Roxas muttered, going off to the science lab. He passed the group and called out to Namine, giving her an excuse to leave the group.

Axel walked over to the three, "Geez, you two really can be bitchy," Axel laughed. "Though I've yet to see whose worse, the sadistic yet promiscuous Larxene," Axel gestured at said female, "or the boy-molesting Marly!"Axel grinned at Marluxia, who glared at him in return.

"First off, I do not touch little boys," Marluxia sniffed, "I only like strong men..." Marluxia sighed in fantasy before continuing, "Secondly: do you even know what 'promiscuous' means?" Marluxia sneered at Axel, who just laughed it off. Even though to an outsider it seemed that the two shared a rivalry, they were actually really close, just as close as the rest of them.

Larxene sighed and crossed her arms, "I'll have you know I'm not 'promiscuous' Axel, I'm just a little..." Larxene smirked, "naughty."

"Oh please," Demyx laughed at Larxene's comment, "how can that be? Are you the newest thing: a virgin whore!?" The three boys laughed at Larxene, who just glared since she couldn't really respond to a comment like that.

Axel stopped for a second to remember what he was supposed to do before remembering, "Oh yeah, can you guys lay off Namine a bit? Roxas's getting a little peeved," Axel shrugged. "He's my main man, I just wanted to pass on the message."

"I thought I was your main dude!" Demyx laughed.

"No way, that'd be me," Marluxia smelled a flower as he spoke.

"I'm more of a man than either of you," Larxene teased, and they all laughed at that. "Anyway, I'll back off the chick, she annoys me but I'll live." Larxene shrugged and crossed her arms.

Axel grinned at her, "Thanks Lar-Lar," Axel winked and ran off, not noticing that the simply action made Larxene so red that she matched his hair.

Marluxia and Demyx noticed this however and grinned at each other before singing, "Axel and Larxene, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Larxene turned and shot them both death glares, which brought the happy tune to an end. "Seriously though," Marluxia smirked at Larxene, "I've never seen you decide to 'lay off' someone before, I guess when _Axel_ asks it's _much_ more important."

Demyx sighed and gave Larxene a sympathetic smile, "You know that it's never going to happen, right? He's into the dumb sluts." Demyx paused for a moment, "Actually, you might have a chance," Demyx laughed and avoided the punch Larxene threw at his head.

Marluxia turned serious, "All teasing aside, what exactly do you plan to do? You certainly aren't his type. Put more politely, he's into the pretty faces that have nothing behind them. Not to mention he's into petite brunets who seem innocent," Marluxia gestured at Larxene, emphasizing how she was none of these things.

"I forget Marly, how's your boyfriend?" Larxene snapped at Marluxia, who looked away with narrowed eyes. Okay, so being an outed gay high schooler who appreciated male teachers who were not gay didn't get you much of a sex life. "Listen, regardless of what you two say, I'm still closer to him than any of his flings could ever claim to be," Larxene sniffed, "Roxas may be his main man, but I'm still his only woman."

Meanwhile, Roxas was sitting outside the science lab as he listened to the mp3 player on his phone. Namine sat next to him, sketchpad out as she drew a flower bush that decorated the school; the details alone making the drawing impressive. "ROXY!" Roxas winced and glared at the one who said it. Surprisingly, this time it wasn't Axel, but a girl called Angel. Angel had dark red hair and bright green eyes, and she was overall a very pretty girl. At least, she was in the eyes of most. Roxas had a habit of comparing all girls to Namine, and none of them even could compare. Even the petite blonds with big blue eyes like Namine didn't have her aura, so this red-head was ugly in Roxas's opinion (thankfully he was too smart to tell her that).

"Angel..." Roxas sighed, "no one can call me that. Axel does it, but he also sleeps with his eyes open." Roxas turned up his music to drown out whatever flirty reply she had to that. To many, it seemed like Angel fell hard for Roxas, but it wasn't the case. Angel was actually Marluxia's girlfriend before he came out, and she was really more of an excuse to prove he wasn't gay. When he decided to let people other than his family friends know, he told Angel first and she never took it well. As "revenge" she dated both Demyx and Axel, and that didn't work out at all. So, since Angel wasn't going to go lesbian and date Larxene, the only friend left to get Marluxia jealous was Roxas, who neither had or wanted a girlfriend for obvious reasons.

"...so I have to go to English now, see ya later Roxy!" Roxas's eyebrow twitched in irritation but he gave a sigh of relief when she left. Namine gave Roxas a sympathetic smile before returning to her drawing. Roxas made a mental note to avoid Angel, as well as her giggly friends.

Axel ran up to Roxas and grinned, "That was pretty cruel Roxy," Axel laughed at Roxas. "She's not _that_ bad you know. I mean, yeah she's as dumb as a 2-by-4, but she has nice tits. Not to mention, I think she actually likes you."

Roxas glared at Axel, "You know, I don't want advice from you. You're just looking for some free sex, why would I listen to you?"

"Hey, don't blame me," Axel held up his hands for silence, "that's all they look for, so I just give them what they want and nothing more." Axel scratched his head, "I've yet to meet a girl who wants me for _me_. Angel, on the other hand, really likes you."

Roxas thought of Larxene and sighed again, "You bring dense to a whole new level, there's no way I'd take advice from you." Roxas pocketed his phone when he saw Prof. Vexen approaching, Marluxia close behind him... for reasons you all can guess. Vexen unlocked the door and everyone started walking into the classrooms to their designated spaces. Roxas and Axel sat side-by-side in the back, Namine sat in the front and was the closest to the desk besides Marluxia, who may or may not have actually had a desk of his own since he was always leaning on Vexen's.

When the class was finally full, Vexen turned to the chalkboard. "Today, we will be discussing genetics." The class groaned, there were very few people who enjoyed anything about reproduction that didn't involve the actual process. "I'm sure you all remember the basic discussions from previous grades, such as how you would get traits from your parents." A few students nodded in response, but the majority were currently building daydreams to distract them for the hour long class. "However, sometimes traits arrive that never truly came from either parent. The most common way for this to happen is through inbreeding." Roxas's head shot up and the lesson suddenly became interesting... very interesting indeed.

"If two parents are closely related, whether animal or plant, then inbreeding occurs." Vexen wrote down key words on the blackboard, which were written down by dedicated students and simply memorized by Roxas. "Recessive genes that would typically go unnoticed appear in the offspring, such as a low fertility, a higher chance of genetic disorders, facial symmetry, smaller adult size, a weaker immune system, and a low birth rate." Vexen nodded and continued, "Due to natural selection, first-generation inbreeding offspring usually die before being able to reproduce. However, in cases such as on islands, they will adapt to become a new race or species. It is for this reason that royal families in the past attempted to keep their blood 'pure'." The class continued on and Vexen continued with how inbreeding had built the separate species of creatures and such.

When class was out, Axel stretched and walked next to Roxas, who wondered if his friend spent the entire class sleeping. "Pretty powerful stuff, eh Roxy?" Roxas sighed and remembered that Axel was pretty much a genius... meaning he could sleep through all the classes and still know what was going on. "Though if you ask me, Vexen seemed a little obsessed with inbreeding," Axel laughed, "maybe his mom is also his aunt?" Roxas resisted to urge to glare at his friend, who continued, "That stuffs pretty nasty. I mean, could you imagine doing Namine?" Roxas really did glare at Axel this time, but that was mostly because he did exactly what he asked him to, and he didn't like it. Or, more accurately, he did like it and he didn't want to.

The two continued to English, which they shared with Larxene, Demyx, and Marluxia but no Namine. Professor Saix was at the front of the classroom reading through his papers. Marluxia grinned at Axel, "On a scale from one to ten, how hot is Saix's scar?"

Axel shot Marluxia a look of disgust, "For my sake, please keep those thoughts to yourself." Roxas sighed, how did he become friends with these people again. "Go ask Larxene, you _girls_ should get along better."

Marluxia shot Axel a knowing look "Larxene isn't into _older men._ She prefers someone her own age, preferably someone she already knows well." Roxas looked up at Axel in curiosity, who seemed clueless to the subtle hints, "You mean Larxene actually likes someone?"

Roxas sat down at the desk and banged his head on it, was his friend really this dense? "Maybe I could help her get him?" Axel grinned and Roxas exchanged a look with Marluxia: the answer to that was yes.

"Settle down students," Saix stood up with the expressionless face that everyone had grown to know, or know and love in Marly's case. "Now, I hope you all finished your poetry from yesterday, correct?" The students nodded half-heartedly and Saix continued, "Is anyone interested in sharing their poem?" Marluxia's hand shot up and Saix glanced at it for a second, "Does anyone other that Marluxia wish to share?" When no other hands rose Saix sighed, "Fine, please read your poem to us."

Marluxia winked at Saix, who just sighed. "_From day to day I search these halls/ Wanting to find that man/ Everyone says I can't do it/ But they're wrong: I can./ I can't keep my eyes off you/ Everyday in class/ I hope you drop a pencil/ So that I can stare at your bum._" Marluxia grinned and the class shot him looks of stupor.

"Marly... 'bum' doesn't rhyme with 'class.'" Demyx sighed and threw a pencil at Marluxia's head. "I believe the word you were looking for was 'ass', which about sums you up in one word."

"Detention for you Demyx," Saix wrote down a grade for Marluxia, "and he is right Marluxia, you need to improve your rhyming." Marluxia muttered something about humor and Saix continued, "Roxas, would you please share your poem with us?"

Roxas sighed and pulled out his paper. He really didn't like reading in front of people. "_How long have I loved you?/ How long has it been like this?/ Why is it so many years ago/ Everyday we would kiss/ But circumstances have changed/ Though you still live in my heart/ The chains that continue to bind us/ Are the walls tearing us apart_." Roxas blushed slightly when he felt everyone's stare, "What?"

Axel gave a low whistle, "Damn, who knew my boy was so deep?" Axel shook his head slowly, "That was another level completely."

Saix nodded, "Detention for you too Axel." Saix wrote down a grade, "Excellent work Roxas. May I ask where the inspiration comes from?"

Roxas looked down and muttered, "Someone close..."

Sensing his friend's embarrassment, Axel decided to tease him, "I had no idea you felt that way about me!" Axel grabbed Roxas and pulled him into a headlock, "You don't need to hold back just because we're friends!"

"Axel... get off me before I rip your fucking head off!" Roxas glared at Axel, who glanced to see is Saix decided to detention Roxas. He didn't.

"Awww, come on! He said "fuck" for fuck's sake!" Axel complained.

"2 more detentions Axel," Saix gestured at Axel to get off of Roxas. Axel murmured something about a teacher's pet and sat down. Saix continued, "Would anyone else like to share their poetry?" When no one else raised their hand Saix picked on his own, "Since you seem to enjoy taking Axel, why don't you?"

Axel sighed and stood up, "_Rice Crispies and milk/ Over a month old/ And when I call my buddy/ His response is cold._" Axel sat back down and smiled at Roxas, who was able to figure out pretty quickly when he wrote this... masterpiece.

"Axel, your poem needs to have an _actual _purpose, while subtlety is good, you need to be somewhat more direct." Since Saix seemed to on a roll with that particular group of friends, he picked Demyx next to read.

"Hold on to your pants people, cause this is gonna blow you away!" Everyone looked back and forth and wondered if that was a warning or the poem. "_A wandering musician/ A pure blooded princess/ A tavern wench/ All three bound together/ By the sweet song's aroma/ And love's cruel stench._" Demyx smiled, knowing full well he got an A on this poem, no surprise since he did write his own songs.

"Larxene," Saix looked at the blonde, ignoring her glare. "Please grace us all with your poetry."

Larxene swore under her breath and stood up, "_I hate you all/ I hope you die._" Larxene crumpled up the paper when she was done and tossed it into the basket, making a bulls-eye. Everyone would have laughed at her poem if they didn't know she wasn't joking. Saix wrote down Larxene's low grade and called on people one-by-one to read their poems, but since no one else was an important part of the story they won't be mentioned.

When the bell rang to release the students Axel wrapped his arms around Larxene and Marluxia's shoulders and grinned, "We failures aren't going to hang out with geniuses like you!" Axel pretended to snub Roxas and Demyx, and pulled Larxene and Marluxia to auto-shop, not noticing Marluxia's smirk from the also unnoticed blush on Larxene.

"I'm going to band," Demyx smiled at Roxas, "You'd be surprised by now PO'd Prof. Valentine can get." Demyx ran off to band, taught by, you guessed it, Vincent Valentine.

"Roxas," said blonde turned to Saix, who was looking at him, his amber orbs seeming to dig into his soul. "May I speak with you for a second?" Roxas nodded and walked up to the desk, "I can tell from your poem: you seem to be interested in a 'forbidden love' aren't you?" Roxas turned red and tried to say something, but Saix held his hand up for silence: "I'm not criticizing you, simply warning you. The tale of Romeo and Juliet is seen as romantic, and justly so. However..." Saix's eyes glinted and he continued, "do not forget that they died painful deaths, as punishment for their sin. Today, such a romance would not be considered forbidden, and perhaps your own love story could go through that same change. Do not forget, however, that such a love only has painful consequences, so do not act rashly on an impulse."

Roxas paled and ran off. Saix couldn't know about his feeling for his sister, but his words still rang of the truths they held in Roxas's ears long after he reached his Math class with Prof. Zexion.


	2. Better Left Unsaid

Roxas growled to himself, contemplating Saix's words. _I doubt he knows about my feelings for Namine... Roxas_ shook his head and walked on, making his way to Prof. Zexion's maths class. He stopped when he saw Zexion... in the classroom... with Namine... _alone._ Roxas fought off the urge to make some possessive comment and walked forward with an equally forced grin, "What's going on?"

"Hi Roxas!" Namine turned and smiled at Roxas, "Professor Zexion was telling me about this teacher at his college who threw things at students if they weren't working hard enough." Namine giggled, "The only reason no one reported him was because they were afraid of what he would do."

"And he was a good teacher," Zexion commented. "He's the one who introduced me to my girlfriend." Roxas relaxed noticeably, and Zexion rose an eyebrow but said nothing. Namine smiled at Roxas again and walked to the front of the classroom while Roxas went to the back. Zexion followed Roxas and looked into his eyes piercingly, "Be careful with your actions. Not everyone is as dense as your friends." Roxas glared at Zexion, and turned quickly to his bag as an excuse to look away from the teacher. _Is it just me, or do all the teachers today seem to know about my perverted obsession with my twin sister?_ Roxas chanced a glance up, and breathed a sigh of relief when Zexion returned to the blackboard to begin class.

Roxas's concentration flickered back and forth between the Calculus lesson and Zexion's words. _Am I really so obvious? Or does he just see things?_ Roxas sighed and examined his teacher. Prof. Zexion always had an air of enigma about him, and you could just feel his blue eyes penetrate your very being. Perhaps that was the real reason why no one passed notes or cheated in his classes. No one smarter than Angel was anyways. Roxas sighed in irritation when he saw the paper football land on his desk, the pink ink making the sender's identity obvious. Roxas turned to Angel, shaking his head gravely before trashing the note without even reading it.

After the class ended, Roxas hung back to speak with Zexion, cursing silently when Angel hung back as well. "Hey Roxy," Angel smiled and leaned towards him, "Why didn't you read it?"

"First off, I'd get in trouble," Roxas crossed his arms and decided to stop this girl's obsession with him before it got too far. "And second: I don't want to read it." Roxas narrowed his blue eyes at Angel, begging she'd get the message. She didn't.

"You're so _mysterious_ Roxy!" Angel giggled and ran off, leaving an annoyed Roxas behind.

"How cold," Zexion walked up to Roxas slowly. "She isn't a disease, she's still a human. Like _Namine_." Roxas turned sharply and Zexion continued, "Relax, your secret is safe with me. I have no desire to cause trouble where there needn't be any." Zexion turned away from Roxas to pull out a book, "I value you both as students, and I consider Namine a friend as well. She's a sensible girl, and she doesn't do anything ridiculous like stare at my behind when I'm not looking." Roxas was about to say something before Zexion interrupted, "Yes, I know most of my female students do such."

"Why?" Roxas crossed his arms, not caring that the late bell rang. "Why the hell does this matter to you at all?"

"Like I said, I consider Namine a friend. She is far more mature than most girls her age, and more than fit enough to befriend an adult on an equal level." Zexion also ignored the bell, "My professor I told you about always taught me to live life by my own morals, even if they do not coincide with society's morals." Zexion rose a hand to his face, "I am not affected by any sort of relationship you two would share, unless you made her suffer somehow. As her brother, I doubt you would do such."

"Of course," Roxas uncrossed his arms and looked at Zexion seriously, "Why do you suppose she talks so freely with me?" Roxas bit his lip in a slight irritation and continued, "If she knew the depth of my feelings for her, she would hate me. But more than that, she would hate herself for leading me on. Her logic is not defined by her mind, it would be affected purely by guilt."

"In other words," Zexion narrowed his eyes, "You love her too much to love her, correct?" Zexion looked at Roxas who nodded in confirmation. "An unrequited love is not uncommon, and more often than not such a conclusion is uncommon." Zexion closed his eyes, "And most every time such a conclusion is reached, it is without the other party ever knowing of their feelings."

"I'm sure most of those circumstances aren't like this." Roxas sighed, "If by some miracle she did return my feelings, it would be doomed. It's illegal, immoral, and just plain sick."

"And _that_," Zexion pointed out, "Is why morals cannot be defined by others."

...........................

Roxas leaned against a brick wall. He had two choices: go to Prof. Lexaeus's history class, or stay where he was and risk a detention. Roxas thought about it for a second before sitting down and closing his eyes. "Morning Roxy!" Roxas rose an eyebrow in annoyance to see Axel grinning in front of him. Axel held out a cigarette, "Want a smoke?"

Roxas wordlessly took the cigarette from Axel and letting him light it for him. Roxas inhaled deeply before blowing out a smoke ring. The two sat side-by-side as they smoked in silence. Roxas sighed and dug the butt of the cigarette into the ground, "Namine always tells me to quit. It seems sad to be addicted at 15."

Axel shrugged, "I was addicted younger than that," Axel thought for a second, "I stole a pack from Reno when I was... 10 I think." Roxas shook his head sadly. Axel had always been a bit of a pyromaniac, but somehow thinking of him smoking at 10 was just sad. Roxas would have only been 8 then, and Axel would have been living alone with the exception of his older brother.

The bell rang and the two stood up and walked off to lunch, meeting Professor Xigbar as he cheerfully dragged a Vexen behind him, "Come on Vexen! You shouldn't just go off and sulk during lunch, you know how much Mansex wants us to get along!" Xigbar saw Roxas and Axel staring at him and waved, his only visible eye either winking or blinking... it was really hard to tell with an eye-patch. "S'up dudes?"

"Yo!" Axe waved, "Why does Xemnas want you two to get along?"

Xigbar laughed, "Not _us_, we get along perfectly. Don't we Vexen?" Vexen grumbled something and Xigbar continued, "No, it's the others he wants us to get along with. Something about unity or some crap like that." Xigbar shrugged before dragging Vexen behind him again.

"...What does Xigbar even teach?" Roxas shook his head at their teacher's antics.

Axel thought for a second, "I think he's our local technophobic computer manager." Axel laughed, "He sucks at his job. Do you know how easy it is to bypass the school's block and get porn? _Too_ easy."

"Coming from the school genius, that doesn't mean much," Roxas sighed. "Any plans for lunch?"

Axel nodded, "I'm going to round up the others and Marlys's gonna drive us to the pizza joint."

Roxas chuckled, "Is Marluxia aware of these plans?"

Axel laughed, and waved to Marluxia who was walking side by side with Larxene, "He will in a sec." Roxas hung back as Axel ran towards the two and said something, which resulted in him getting hit in the head by Marluxia, Axel complaining to Larxene about Marluxia hitting him, and Larxene saying something to Axel which made him mope. He crossed his arms and pouted until Marluxia finally sighed and told him what he wanted to hear. Roxas sighed, it was so obvious what was going on that it wasn't even funny.

"Hi Roxas," Roxas turned quickly to see Namine smile at him. "I'm going to go home for lunch, okay?" Roxas nodded, and she continued. "I think I might stay home too, I don't feel that well."

Roxas widened his eyes and was about to make an offer to take her home, but he felt himself get pulled into a headlock by Axel, "Come on you little scab! Let's go and get some pizza!" Roxas struggled against Axel, and Namine just watched with a giggle. Roxas turned red and struggled harder. Axel laughed and left with Roxas in tow, his free arm raised as he waved goodbye to the blonde girl, "See you later Namine!" Namine giggled and waved back, and Roxas glared at Axel. Knowingly or not, Axel just made his best friend look like an idiot in front of the girl he liked.

Axel pulled Roxas to Marluxia's bright red car and threw him in. Already in the car were Demyx and Larxene, with Marluxia calling someone on the phone. Marluxia's car was a mini-van since he had a large family and often had to give rides. Demyx took the seat in the far back and Larxene was n the passenger's seat in the front. Roxas took one of the two individual seats in the middle row and Axel took the other. Marluxia said something into the phone before hanging up and getting in, "Uzuki's gonna be working right now, still wanna go?" Uzuki was Marluxia's little sister, but she was more responsible than her brother was and worked at the pizza parlor during her free periods and lunch, which happened to be grouped together.

When the 5 reached the joint, they saw Uzuki in her usual green turtleneck flowy shirt with black short-shorts and tall white boots. She had pink hair and purple eyes like Marluxia, but her hair was shorter than his and she was much stiffer, "Great, the fag actually showed up." Uzuki sighed and led them to their table.

They ordered a huge-as-hell pepperoni pizza and a pitcher of cola to drink. While Uzuki was off getting them their pitcher, Axel spoke seriously, "Listen, something's been bugging me lately. We're like, the most popular kids in school right?"

Marluxia tilted his head and spoke elegantly, "Allow me to see." He leaned his arm over his seat and yelled to the kitchen, "Uzuki! Kariya! We're the popular group, right?"

Kariya was Uzuki's close golden-haired male friend, who had a tendency to wear red sunglasses and keep a lollipop in his mouth everywhere he went, which included the kitchen since he was the cook, "You're pretty high up there, yes." Kariya shrugged and continued cooking. Why Marluxia asked him about the popularity was a mystery, since Kariya was both a drop-out and 19, thus making him not a student. However, he did have an ear for gossip, which Uzuki may have shared with him during slow days.

"Why the hell are you asking me?" Uzuki snapped and laid their pitcher of bubbling cola on their table, "I don't know anything about that stuff. Nor do I care to." Uzuki crossed her arms, "Why do you care to?"

"It's like this," Axel leaned forward and looked at his friends, "We're all supposed to be setting an example for our fellow students to follow, and we are failing them."

Larxene rose an eyebrow, "Are you saying we're supposed to turn into nerds or something?"

Axel blinked, "What? How do you figure that?" Axel shook his head, "No, I'm saying that it's a problem that we're all single and have been for a while."

"Not this again," Roxas groaned. "I don't want to date anyone." Of course, Roxas couldn't just say,_ "Oh, there is a girl I like. Do you think you could hook me up with my innocent twin sister?"_

Marluxia leaned back, "Axel, you know full well that there aren't many options for me in this school."

"You got a point there," Uzuki leaned forward on their table, finding them as a useful way to kill the boredom slow days brought about. "How many other fags are in this school?" Perhaps it should be mentioned now that Uzuki is not a homophobe, simply a little sister. And, as a little sister, she has the eternal job of taunting her brother, even though she had absolutely no problem with him being gay.

"Let's see here..." Demyx looked up as he mentally counted, "There's Yazoo. You know, one of the triplets." There weren't very many triplets in the school, so the three sons of the infamous librarian, Sephiroth, were practically a legend. "It wouldn't surprise me if Kadaj and Loz were too, they're all such mama's boys."

"Yazoo?" Marluxia wrinkled his nose in disgust, "He's way too girly for me."

"As compared too..?" Axel rose an eyebrow at the feminine Marluxia, who simply shrugged. In response. "Besides, he's obsessed with Reno. He pretty much went to work in Midgar just to escape him."

Demyx laughed, "Well, let's see... Saix is probably gay for Xemnas."

"Old news," Marluxia sighed. Xemnas was the principal of the school, and Saix may have well been his personal secretary rather than an English teacher from the way he followed him. "Besides, I'm already chasing him, telling me that is useless." Marluxia widened his eyes and suddenly leaned forward, "How about Zexion?"

"He has a girlfriend," Roxas tossed a straw wrapper at Marluxia's head, "Better luck next time."

Marluxia frowned and leaned back, "I only like older men. I'm not gonna date anyone here."

Axel sighed, "Fine fine." He turned to Larxene, "How about you Larx? Got any guy that interests you?"

Demyx smirked, "Yeah Larxene? Is there a man in this big wide world who meets to your standards?" He chuckled knowingly, before ducking to avoid the toothpick Larxene threw at his head.

"N-no one really..." Larxene turned a little red and crossed her arms.

"Hmm..." Axel was silent for a second before speaking. "As the only girl, it's most important for you to have a boyfriend."

"Bite me," Larxene growled, sipping her soda.

Roxas laughed, "And not _any_ boyfriend, he has to be as popular as she is, which is pretty much our group."

Marluxia smiled evilly at Larxene, "She likes them _hot, _smart, and a little mysterious."

Axel's eyes widened, "Really Larxene?" Said teen turned red and nodded and Axel stood up, "KARIYA! WANNA GO OUT WITH LARXENE?"

"WHAT!" Both Uzuki and Larxene shrieked as they stood up.

Kariya ignored the loud shriek from the two women, "No thanks. High School girls are a bore." He pulled out his lollipop, "You can't even touch them."

Axel laughed, "Aww, come on! Forbidden love stories are so hot!" Uzuki growled at Axel before stomping off to yell at Kariya.

"That was evil," Roxas sighed as he sipped his soda, "You know Uzuki has a thing for Kariya."

Axel grinned, "Well, he's a little dense, so maybe that outburst will let him know how she feels." He also sipped his soda and Roxas sighed, _Are you in any position to say that?_

"What about you Dem?" Marluxia leaned forward and rested his chin in his palm, "Got any special ladies on your mind?"

Demyx shrugged, "No one in particular. Besides, I have a playboy reputation. Can't let a girlfriend ruin that."

Uzuki came out, a pizza on a tray as she glared at Axel, still furious about his comment, "Here's your pizza." She gave a forced grin that obviously hid evil intentions, "Come again soon." She threw the bill in Axel's face and stomped off.

"..." Larxene sighed, "She wins an award for that."

"For what?" Marluxia took a bite out of his pizza and tipped his head at the female.

Larxene chuckled, "For being the first woman to hate Axel _before_ sleeping with him." Everyone laughed at Axel's expense as he pulled out his money and counted pennies to see if he had enough for lunch.

.............

Roxas walked into the house, his bag slung over one shoulder. He looked back and forth for his sister, going to the kitchen when he heard the sink running. "Are you feeling better?" Roxas smiled at Namine, who didn't turn from the sink, but nodded.

"Yes. All I needed was to lay down." She turned to Roxas, a plate and towel in hand, "I thought I'd get the dishes done before Mom and Dad come home."

Roxas laughed, "What? Milk the 'sick' thing for what it's worth." He took the towel and plate from Namine, "You wash, I'll dry."

Namine smiled gratefully at Roxas, who could feel his heart skip a beat. "So, did anything interesting happen at school?" She took a sauce pan out and started washing it.

Roxas shrugged as his put the plate away, "Axel and the others keep trying to get me to date, and Angel's trying to convince me she's a suitable candidate." Roxas rolled his eyes.

"You should go for it," Roxas froze when Namine said that. She didn't notice Roxas's behavior and continued, "I mean, you never go out with anyone. Me either for that matter. We should both try and go out with someone."

_What? Namine? Not you... anyone but you..._ Roxas pounded at his head, but the thoughts wouldn't leave. He could tolerate Angel hitting on him and Axel dropping some jokes here and there, but if the girl he had feelings for was telling him to get a girlfriend... he could feel a pain explode in his chest. "No... I don't think so."

"Why?" Namine scrubbed at a stubborn stain in the pan, but froze a moment later. She could feel a strong pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders, and a head leaning on her shoulder. She could see Roxas's blonde hair out of the corner of her eye. "R-Roxas?" Namine was a bright red as she stared at her brother.

"I'm sorry Namine..." Roxas kept his eyes closed, knowing that there must be an expression of shock on his twin's face... or maybe even disgust. He didn't want to see that. "I just... can't."

Namine could feel her heart pounding against her ribs, and she couldn't loosen her muscles at all. "W-whats wrong Roxas?"

"Too much," Roxas's shoulders drooped as he spoke. Now, Roxas didn't open his eyes to keep the tears in them. He knew what he was about to do would separate him from his love forever, but he couldn't keep her in the dark if she would keep doing things like this. "I love you Namine. As a woman, not a sister."

Namine kept her muscles tight as Roxas released her and went up to his room before slamming the door. She could feel her knees collapse beneath her, and she stared out into space, _What just happened?_


	3. Sketches and Scars

Namine looked up at her parents, who were eating their dinner wordlessly. Her mother had hair the same shade of gold as Roxas's, and eyes the same blue as both of the twins. She was tall, with broad shoulders which her hair draped over delicately. Her father was much more slim, with his hair lighter, even lighter than Namine's. His hair was short with the exception of a braided rat-tail. The both looked at the empty spot where Roxas usually ate and her mother spoke, "Namine, why isn't your brother eating?"

Namine remembered their conversation earlier and Roxas's confession and bit her lip, "I think he caught my bug." Namine felt guilty for lying to her parents, but it couldn't be helped.

"Why don't you check on him, sweetie?" Her father smiled at Namine, who nodded and wordlessly took to the stairs.

Namine stopped in front of Roxas's door, staring at it for a second. Would he yell at her? Would he ignore her? _Will he hate me?_ Namine bit her lip again, feeling the metal taste of blood in her mouth. "Roxas?" She knocked on the door, and heard the bed creak. _Was he sleeping?_ Namine could feel her guilt rise again, she knew why Roxas slept. It was his way of attempting to turn reality into a dream.

The door opened, and Namine could see that Roxas's eyes were red and swollen. "Mom wanted to know if you were okay since you didn't come for dinner," Namine forced a smile, which was not returned.

"Namine..." Roxas looked down to the ground, "If you hate me... well, to be honest, it could ruin my life. But..." Roxas turned away from Namine, "don't just pretend what I did never happened. I'd wish I was never born." Roxas closed the door slowly, "I'm not hungry."

Namine stood there, at a loss for words. She could feel tears forming at her eyes and she wiped them away. _Why? I just want everything to be normal._ Namine walked down the stairs and spoke to her parents, "He's not feeling well. I'm starting to feel a little queasy too, can I lay down?"

"Of course, honey." Namine's mother smiled at her. "We'll take care of your dishes for you." Namine nodded and went back up the stairs and walked into her bedroom slowly before locking her door. She crawled onto her pure white bed and leaned over it, pulling out a sketchpad wedged between the bed and wall. Not even bothering to open the sketchpad, Namine pulled it close to her chest and let her tears drip onto the cover. _I'm so sorry Roxas..._

.............

Roxas groaned as he heard his alarm go off. He knew, with a sinking stomach, that everything he did yesterday wasn't a dream. "Damn it all..." Roxas rolled back onto his pillow and sighed, "Maybe I should stay home..." He stood up and started getting dressed, not even noticing what he was putting on. He even had to take off his shoes because he was wearing one black sock and one green sock.

Roxas opened his door, freezing when he saw Namine walk out of her own. There were only two things in his mind: guilt and fear. He felt fear of what Namine might say, guilt for what he said, and more fear when he saw what she was wearing. She was wearing her white dress and blue sandals as usual, but she also wore a light blue sweater. "Namine..."

Namine turned her eyes to the ground, "It's nothing Roxas." She walked past him, refusing to meet her brother's eyes. Roxas reached out and grabbed her shoulder, and Namine turned quickly, "I told you Roxas, IT'S NOTHING!"

Roxas glared at his sister, "Nothing?" He grabbed the sleeve of the sweater and pulled it up to Namine's elbows, exposing recent scars one her pale arms. "_This_ is nothing? Damn it Namine, _anything_ is better than this! Hate me, ignore me, pretend it never happened," Roxas gave a defeated sigh and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Don't blame yourself Namine. This isn't your fault. It's all me."

"N-no, it isn't." Namine pulled herself out of Roxas's grip and clutched at her arms, "Roxas, I'm your twin. I should be able to notice these things, and... and..." Namine couldn't keep her tears from overflowing.

Roxas pulled his sister into a tight hug, "Namine, please. I tried to keep this from you, and I'm the idiot who told you," he pulled away from the hug and looked into Namine's eyes, their shade mirroring his own. "I'm the pervert who started it, hid it, and let it out into the open. You had _nothing_ to do with it."

Namine melted into her brother's hug, sobbing uncontrollably. Roxas stroked her hair and hummed a lullaby to soothe her. "Roxas... don't." Roxas paused, expecting Namine to push him away, but she only clutched at his shirt tighter. "I want you to make me feel better," Namine admitted, "but I don't want to make things worse for you."

Roxas sighed and hugged Namine tighter, "Trust me: when my gir- sister... is like this." Roxas looked down at Namine's light blonde hair, resisting the urge to run his fingers through it. "Nothing would be worse than letting you suffer."

Namine pushed away from Roxas and wiped away her stray tears, "Thank you Roxas... you're really a good brother." Namine smiled at Roxas and walked off, pulling her sleeves down to hide her arms.

Roxas groaned and leaned against the wall, a pain burning in his chest. "Namine... why were we born together?" He ran his fingers through his hair, "I'd even put up with being Angel's brother if I could touch you."

.............

Namine sighed as she walked through the school, her sweater growing even warmer in the September sun. She ignored any and all glances in her direction, questioning why her twin wasn't at school. Namine walked to her Art class, taught by the one and only Squall Leonhart. He was going over the exact differences between realism and surrealism, and Namine pulled out her sketchbook. She was currently working on a surreal picture of a dog toy she bougt on a whim during a grage sale once, and she was struggling with keeping it recognizable as a dog toy while still twisting the rules of reality.

"WOW! That's really good!" Namine glanced to the left and saw Kairi and Selphie sitting together, the latter complimenting the popular red-head's sketch. Namine turned back to her own drawing, preferring the bubble she kept herself in. While compliments were nice, it was nicer to not have to worry about insults. That's just the kind of girl Namine was: the safe kind. She didn't take risks, and she didn't do anything that might earn trouble. That's why her teachers and parents liked her: she was a good girl. So what if it cost her possible friendships? She wouldn't need those when she graduated and went to law school, all she needed were her own skills.

"Very nice, Namine." The blonde girl jumped at the masculine voice and turned to see Leon looking over her shoulder criticlly. "A stuffed animal of some sort? I like the use of animals in the fur... what is it supposed to represent?"

Namine nodded and spoke in a soft voice, "It's a used dog toy. I wanted to try and show that many dogs owned and loved this toy." Namine knew it was rude to simply turn back to her drawing, so she added, "It isn't done yet." She placed the pencil on paper once more and resumed sketching the surreal toy.

.............

"Hey Namine!" Namine turned and recognized Angel running towards her, acting as though the two were best friends. Namine ignored the swelling of nausea at the sight of the redhead and forced a friendly smile. "Namine, do you like me?"

Namine paused, "Um... I guess so..." She clenched her hands behind her back to relieve some stress. "Why?"

"Well, I _really_ want to go out with Roxas, and friends help friends get boyfriends, right?" Angel gave Namine an expecting smile and Namine wanted more than anything to just disappear. She hated it when people did this... asked her questions that really only had one answer, and any other one only brought you an even lower place on the status pyramid. "Well, do you think that you can hook me up with Roxas?"

Namine turned away from Angel, "I don't think so... I'm not really good at this sort of thing, you know?" Namine turned to walk away, and felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Please Namine?" This time, there was no pleading whine or friendly smile, but a threatening glare. Namine pulled away quickly, and a satisfied smirk rose to Angel's lips. "So, tell him I'm free Saturday, okay?"

"R-right." Namine turned and ran, hating her weaknesses. She could never talk to people... it only brought trouble. People only used her, abused her, tricked her, insulted her... it was easier being alone. She ran to her house and sat down on the couch in irritation. She sighed and turned on the TV, watching the show without watching it. Her head turned when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"... Hi Namine." Roxas smiled at Namine weakly, sitting down on the couch, keeping a distance between them. The silence was long and awkward, and Namine just wanted to scream in order to end it. "How was school?"

Namine turned to Roxas, hating the emptiness of his question and remembering Angel's words. "Fine..." she murmured, keeping her eyes downcast. "Angel was asking about you."

Roxas groanced and leaned back on the couch, "What else is new?" He smiled at Namine, but her face remained sad. "Namine?" Roxas turned to look at her better and examined her pained posture. "Are you okay?"

Namine refused to meet Roxas's eyes and twisted her dress in her hands, "Angel is free Saturday." Roxas's eyes darkened and Namine turned to him with a forced smile, "She wanted me to tell you."

"Did she threaten you?" Roxas's tone was a combination of worry and posessive anxiety. Namine shook her head quickly and Roxas turned away and crossed his arms angrily, "She didn't have to." Namine grabbed at her hair and wrung it in stressful guilt for her lack of a backbone. The silence came once again, bringing with it a buzz of deafening thoughts shifting freely in the air. The TV seemed almost to add to the noise, yet it was still impossible for either of the twins to hear the comic words in the show. "Do you want me to go out with her?" Namine jumped at the sudden real noise from her brother and turned to him in surprise.

Roxas's face was one of defeat, "Do you want me to date Angel?" He repeated the question, his look of conquered will hurting Namine more than insults ever could. "If you want me to get a girlfriend and make things normal... I will." Namine turned her face away from Roxas and stared at her lap, trying to fight back the tears. Why was everything so hard? Why did she have to hurt him like this? Roxas stood up, taking her silence for an answer, "I'll tell her tomorrow."

"No." Roxas froze and turned to Namine, who still focused her attention on her clenched hands. "I don't want you to date Angel," she whispered, tears burning at her deep, blue eyes. She stood up, trying to force a surge of strength to do what she had to, "I have to show you something," Namine couldn't look at Roxas in the eyes, and her voice cracked as she spoke. It was as though her heart was turning her blood cold in an attempt to kill her before she ruined both of their lives.

Namine walked slowly, Roxas following behind her. She walked up the stairs and paused in front of her bedroom door, "Roxas... there's something I have to tell you but... I can't say it. It's too painful." Roxas nodded in a grim understanding, unable to move. "Come inside," Namine opened her bedroom door and Roxas walked in, looking blankly at his sister's room. It was strange... he had been in here so many times, yet now the room seemed alien and unfamiliar in light of the recent events. Namine walked over to her bed and sat down, leaning over to pull out her hidden sketchbook. Wordlessly, her pale arm extended and placed the sketchbook in Roxas's tan ones. "This should explain it," she whispered.

Roxas opened the sketchbook, not quite sure what to expect. The first page was a drawing of two manequinns, holding each other romanticly; the taller one placing a kiss on the smaller one's forehead. He turned the page and saw many small sketches... of him. He turned the page again and saw some more. It continued like this for 3 more pages before the sketches were self-portraits of Namine. Every angle of her body was included for 5 pages before he saw it. The last page with any drawings in it was a copy of the first page, except the embrace was no longer one between small dolls. Now it was a drawing of Roxas: holding to his sister like no brother ever should and kissing her like only a brother can. This was a picture of warmth... of love... of forbidden passion... of incest. He shut the sketchbook and looked at Namine, seeing that she was now crying, "I'm sorry Roxas." She turned and ran out the door, leaving her twin numb with shock as he thought of the love of his life, who might love him in the exact same twisted way.


	4. Love on the Rooftop

Roxas walked out the door, slightly disturbed by the overpowering silence. He was in no doubt that he saw Namine crying… but why couldn't he hear her now? He faintly took notice of his mother downstairs and he went towards the stairs hesitantly. "Mom?" He called down to his mother from the top of the stairs, not quite sure if he wanted to descend them.

"What is it, honey?" He could hear the distraction in his mother's voice and suspected she was preparing some spreadsheets for her job as a secretary.

"Is Namine down there?" Roxas had a suspicion she wasn't, but he had to check and be sure. After all, it was a child's first instinct to go to their parents when they were miserable.

"No, dear." Roxas sat down on the top step and sighed, "Have you checked her room?" Roxas shook his head, knowing his mother couldn't see him. He didn't need to check her room… he was just there, and so was she. He stood up and checked his room, knowing before he even opened the door that she wasn't there. If she wasn't downstairs, all the left was the bathroom, and that door was wide open.

Inspiration shot through Roxas like a bolt of lightning, _The bathroom!_ Roxas ran to the bathroom, looking to the small extension reserved for the washing machine, which was instead placed in the basement. There was a small door just around the corner, and Roxas could tell it was open. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled through the opening, ignoring any fears of the darkness that his childhood might have left behind. He kept crawling until he saw light, and stood up in a small room. It was really more of a cupboard than a room, but there was a window, and he could hear sounds of sniffles behind it. Wordlessly, Roxas walked to the window and brought his arms up to the pane and propped himself up and out the window; leaving him on the roof.

He stood up carefully and saw Namine, her face cupped in her hands to smother the sounds of her choking tears. "Namine?" His twin ignored him, and Roxas took a few tentative steps to where she was and sat down next to her, "Are you okay Namine?"

"N-no." Namie refused to bring her face out of the protective shell her hands provided, "I'm not okay Roxas." Her shoulders shook and Roxas instinctively placed his arm around her. Namine looked up quickly and shied away from the comfort, fresh tears welling up from the hurt look in Roxas's eyes. "How can it be okay?" Her lip quivered and she fought to keep her composure, "I'm a horrible person!" Namine brought her knees to her chest and started crying loudly.

"Namine," Roxas spoke in soothing tones, but refrained from touching her. "You're not a horrible person; you're an angel." He smiled encouragingly, but her head was still cradled in her arms, so he gave up the effort.

"More like the devil," Namine sobbed. "I know it's wrong, every day I remind myself it is!" Roxas gawked in shock; did Namine really go through the same thing he did all the time? "Even though I know it's wrong… I still want you to touch me. And… it feels good when you put your arms around me or hug me." She clutched at her hair, and Roxas brought her wrist down to keep her from pulling it out. "It's so sinful, but I can't stop myself. I'll always want you Roxas, and I'm going to Hell for it!" Namine screamed the last part at Roxas, and the identical sets of blue eyes stared at one another. "I can't keep from wanting to tempt you into the same punishment… I'm going to end up dragging you down with me." Helpless to do anything else, Namine clutched at Roxas shirt and leaned her head on his chest as her tears over took her.

Roxas wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair, "Namine, you didn't cause this. I fell for you just like you fell for me. Heaven or Hell be damned, I'd face it all twice for you." He could hear a choked gasp from Namine, and could feel depression asphyxiating her despite his words. He never knew that Namine not only went though the shame of wanting a sibling, but it was 10 times worse for her. She had the guilt of tempting him, the fear of going to Hell… all the things he refused to think about. "I love you Namine, and nothing will ever change that." Namine brought up her tear-stained face, remorse still obvious. "The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you." He placed a kiss on her forehead, and he could see pleasure and more guilt cloud in her eyes. "Until the day I die, I will always love you more than I could possible love anyone or anything else."

"Me too," Namine whispered, bringing her head down. "I may hate myself for it, but I love you." More sniffles came from the girl, but overall her crying was weak.

Roxas took her chin and forced her to look in his eyes, "Don't hate yourself for it Namine, people want to fall in love." He smiled at Namine, "Even if I burn in Hell for eternity, I could never regret loving you."

Namine's face changed slowly, one in thought then moving to understanding. She moved her face closer to Roxas's in one fluid movement. When their lips were less than an inch apart, she whispered, "Me too." And then she pressed her soft lips to Roxas's own firm lips.

…………**.**

Roxas went to school for once not dreading the day. Namine smiled sweetly next to him, the glow of a woman in love shining on her face like the sun. He smiled at her, wishing he could hold her and kiss her like anyone else. "I'll see you later," she murmured, smiling shyly at the brother she had known her entire life.

Roxas smiled and went over to Axel and Demyx, "Hey guys." He sat on the grass next to Axel, "Where're Larxene and Marluxia?" Axel and Demyx exchanged a knowing glance before turning to Roxas with mischief written all over their face. Rather than be annoyed, Roxas shook his head in amusement.

"Well, someone's chipper today!" Axel smirked at Roxas, "Who's the lucky lady?" Roxas's face heated up and Axel laughed, "What happened to not wanting a girlfriend?" He trapped Roxas in a headlock and noogied his head playfully.

Demyx watched the spectacle with amusement, "Wow, with a reaction like that, who wouldn't want a girlfriend?" He took a sip of his coffee, "So, is she anyone we know?"

"Uh, Axel?" All three of the teens stopped and looked up at their pink-haired friend, who seemed slightly amused. "Larxene's hiding in the bathroom." He rose an eyebow and Roxas had a sinking suspicion the flowery man was involved in her concealment.

Axel's face screwed up as he thought about Larxene, "Hiding… from what?" He suddenly went pale, "Is she preggo!?" Roxas rolled his eyes and shook Axel's arm off of him so he could breathe properly once more.

"No, she's not pregnant," Marluxia also rolled his eyes, "She's a virgin, remember?" He shook his head, "No, she's hiding because… well, maybe she should tell you." The curiosity was evident in Axel's face, and before Roxas could warn Axel about what happened to curious cats, he ran off in the direction of the restrooms.

Roxas sighed and followed his friend, hoping that they wouldn't end up dealing with some sexual harassment charges here. Fortunately, Axel didn't run into the girl's bathroom. He stood outside it yelling as loud as his lung capacity allowed. "LARXENE! WHY ARE YOU HIDING?!" Roxas smacked himself in the forehead, begging that no one thought this was some new sexual game of cat and mouse.

A girl walked out of the bathroom and glared at Axel, "Do you mind?" She flipped her hair and stormed back into the bathroom to fix her hair and make-up and hopefully, her attitude.

Of course, this did not deter Axel, only brick walls did that, and that's just because Axel tended to ram his head into them too hard. "Roxas, go and get Namine! She can tell us what's going on!" Axel turned excitedly to his best friend, whose reaction was a little less than enthusiastic.

"I am not submitting my sister to your plans," Roxas sighed, "Try a Plan B."

"LARXENE!" Roxas shook his head in annoyance. Either plan B seemed awfully familiar, or he was being ignored. "COME ON OUT!"

"AXEL!" Larxene's head popped out of the bathroom door, though she kept her body hidden, "You're making an idiot of yourself!" she growled, her face red.

"Why are you hiding, Larxene?" Demyx pushed Axel out of the way before he could screw up what could possibly be the only chance to talk to Larxene all day if she was really _hiding_. "You know zits don't scare us."

"One: screw you," Larxene glared at her mulleted friend. "Two: none of your business." She gave a sharp gasp as Roxas grabbed her arm and pulled her out into the open to get everything over with. What he saw amazed him.

Larxene usually wore jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt with some sarcastic remark printed across the bust. Today… well, to be frank, she wasn't. Instead, she was dressed like (God forbid!) a girl. She was wearing a tight black tank-top with a heart made out of pink sequins on the right side of her waist. A light-blue denim skirt fit snugly against her thighs, a small slit in the back giving her legs movement. Black high-heeled boots went up her legs, stopping just beneath her knees. There two bright pink bracelets on either wrist, a pink choker around her throat, pink earrings dangling from her earlobes, and pink blush applied to match her lipstick. Then again… that could have been a natural blush from her apparent embarrassment. "Marluxia made me," she spat, throwing a glare at her pink-haired friend before storming back into the bathroom.

Axel was completely speechless, "Wow…" Roxas turned to his friend, smirking at the amazed expression on his face. "Larxene…" Axel started pounding on the bathroom door and yelling again, "YOU HAVE GREAT LEGS LARX! WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND?" Roxas felt a strong urge to smash his head into a wall somewhere. Instead, he grabbed Axel and dragged him away from the bathrooms, which of course did not keep the redhead from yelling things as loudly as he could to Larxene.

………….

"So," Zexion leaned back against the whiteboard covered with scribbled theorems and equations, "She returned your feelings?" Like always, it was virtually impossible to tell Zexion's opinion on this matter of incest, but Roxas nodded anyways. "What of the fear of society's repercussions?" His eye bore into Roxas's, demanding a proper answer.

Roxas sighed and took a seat atop his desk, despite the rules to only sit in the chairs. "I don't know," he admitted, scratching at the back of his head awkwardly. "I have a feeling Mom and Dad wouldn't be thrilled about this," he added dryly.

Zexion nodded, "In other words, you're going to keep this relationship a complete secret?" Roxas reluctantly nodded in agreement, knowing it was best. At the same time though, a part of him wanted to yell out to the world that the one he loved returned his feelings. Luckily, he had more self-control than that. Zexion spoke again, "While I see the wisdom in hiding your relationship from those who will judge it, secrets are rarely a good thing." Zexion sighed, walking over to his desk. He pulled out his books for the next period, not saying any more on the subject.

Roxas sighed, "I'm not ashamed of my feelings anymore, so I don't care if people know I love Namine. But…" He thought of his innocent sister; untouched by the corruption of the world. She was so sensitive, and so pure. She didn't deserve all the crap people would give her. "I don't want people to hurt her because of our relationship. I'd rather end it than let it come to that." Zexion remained as indifferent as ever in appearance, but Roxas could see the sympathy in his gaze.

………….

"ROXY!" Mentioned blonde flinched at the shrill voice calling his name and weighed the options of running away or staying. Knowing that his life would be very miserable if he had to run from Angel his entire life, Roxas groaned and instead turned to face her. The red-haired girl smiled flirtatiously at her crush, "Sooooooo," she fluttered her mascara-stained eyelashes, "Did Namine give you my message?" She put a hand on Roxas's shoulder, causing the latter to roll his eyes.

"Yes," his voice was cold, but Roxas was careful to not let his fury at this girl's use of his sister show. "I'm not interested. At all." Angel's mask of sultry intentions fell for a second, showing her displeasure. "By the way, don't use my sister for your schemes; she's a bystander in all this."

"A bystander?" Angel sweetly asked, her face far too innocent to trust. "I suppose that _is_ true," she sighed, clasping her hands behind her back. She sweetly turned away from Roxas and slowly sauntered to the other wall. "I mean, you may be closer to her than most siblings, but she's still not even a factor." Roxas bristled, not liking the direction this conversation was taking. As though sensing his reaction, Angel turned back with a smile that made pure sugar covered in sprinkles and syrup seem sour. Roxas scowled, his eyes narrowing.

Angel smirked at Roxas, "You know, now that I think about it, you're _a lot_ closer than any pair of siblings I ever met before." Her gaze narrowed maliciously, and Roxas recalled the stories of witches he heard as a child, "It's almost sickening to watch the two of you together. At least, to me it is. Other people don't seem to notice." Angel pressed her form against Roxas, who was too stunned with the anxiety coursing through his veins like liquid ice to stop her. "I'm sure if people realized how… _fond of each other_ you are, Namine would get a lot more attention than she does now."

Roxas paled, staring at the girl rubbing against him like a cat in heat. "So, I'll see you Saturday at 8, alright?" Angel smugly winked and skipped off, leaving Roxas frozen on the spot. He wondered when Angel stopped being so brainless, or if she had secretly been smart this whole time.

"Roxas?" He turned quickly at the sound of his sister's voice, giving her a look that said it all. Namine bit her lip, resisting the urge to go to her brother's arms for comfort, "What are we going to do?" Roxas didn't know. But he was going to figure it out.


End file.
